India copper futures fell on Monday, tailing global markets, where losses in stock markets and worries the recent strong Chinese buying may not persist at higher price levels pressured the metal, analysts said. A slightly weak rupee kept the downside restricted, they said. The Indian rupee fell from three month peaks in afternoon trade as the domestic shares dropped, prompting custodian banks to buy the U.S. unit, while dollar demand from importers also weighed. The most traded copper June contract MCCM9 was 2.33 percent lower at 228.40 rupees per kg at 3:34 p.m.. Weighing on sentiment was a 45 percent jump in Shanghai copper stocks last week to 27,690 tonnes, their highest since the end of March, and expectation China's April copper import data, due on Tuesday is will be at or near the March record. "There is a little bit of profit-taking," said Somnath Dey, in-charge of metals and energy research. Copper would take support at 222 (rupees) and then resume its uptrend till 258, Dey added. Copper may trade in the range of 225-232 rupees for the day, said Tejas Seth, senior research analyst with SMC Global. Meanwhile, inventories at LME warehouses dropped by 3,825 tonnes to 385,175 tonnes. Other industrial metals also moved lower tracking copper, they added.

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